Quick-release cable loop assembly



1970 w. J. O'CONNOR QUICK-RELEASE CABLE LOOP ASSEMBLY Filed April 9, 1969 INYENTORf 15 Wfi/TER I OComvoR HT 79s.

United States Patent 3,540,083 QUICK-RELEASE CABLE LOOP ASSEMBLY Walter J. OConnor, Grove City, Pa., assignor to Carl R. Litzenberger, Endicott, Wash. Filed Apr. 9, 1969, Ser. No. 814,652 Int. Cl. A441) 21/00; F16g 11/00 US. Cl. 24-123 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to cable loop assemblies and more particularly to quick-release cable loop assemblies that may be operated remotely.

Such cable loop assemblies may be used for many purposes; for mooring boats, airplanes and the like; or for cattle roundup and branding operations. One commercially available quick-release mooring cable is illustrated in US. Pat. No. 3,467,046. Such a mooring cable has a releasable socket for receiving the looped end of a cable. The socket may be operated remotely by a tie line attached to a lever controlling a gate means in the socket. Although the releasable mooring cable has enjoyed some commercial success, it has the disadvantage of being releasable only when a lever is in a limited angular orientation.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a quick-release cable loop assembly that may be quickly and conveniently operated by a tug on a tie line.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a quick-release cable loop assembly that is reliable and can withstand large pulling forces without accidentally releasing the loop.

A further object of this invention is to provide a quick release cable assembly that is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to operate, and essentially maintenance free.

An additional object of this invention is to provide such a cable loop assembly that is unaffected by transverse forces on the cable loop.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon the reading of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration view showing a boat being mored to a dock by use of a cable loop assembly embodying the principles of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cable loop assembly showing the cable loop closed in solid line and open in dotted line;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional View taken along line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 44 in FIG. 3 showing the cable loop assembly in the open position; and

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4 except showing the cable loop assembly in the closed position.

3,540,083 Patented Nov. 17, 1970 "ice Referring in detail to the drawing there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a quick-release cable loop assembly 10 for mooring a boat 11 to a dock 12 in which the loop of the assembly extends around a post 13.

The cable loop assembly 10 includes a cable or rope 15 made of flexible material, such as nylon, hemp or braided metal strands having a ferruled sleeve 16 mounted on the end. The ferruled sleeve 16 has a metal cylindrical body 18 with a knurled angular shoulder 18 at one end with a rounded tip 20 at the other end. The cable is secured to the ferruled sleeve by a round-head screw 21 that extends axially through the ferruled sleeve. A circumferential groove 22 is formed in the cylindrical body 18 adjacent the rounded tip 20.

The cable loop assembly further includes a throat block 24 having a body made of metal, plastic, rubber or the like which is mounted on the cable 15. The throat block has an aperture 25 extending therethrough for receiving a segment of the cable 15. The throat block further includes a socket 26 formed integrally with the body of the throat block for receiving the ferruled sleeve to form a loop in the cable. The socket 26, in an open position is substantially C-shaped with a rigid central section 27 formed integrally with the throat block having a rigid cylindrical wall of approximately 180. The socket 26 has flexible end sections 30 and 32 extending outward from the rigid central section forming curved flexible walls 31 and 33 respectively of approximately 90 each. The flexible walls 31 and 32 may be flexed inward toward each other to an enclosing position to form a cylindrical enclosure 36 complementary with the ferruled sleeve 16. Cylindrical longitudinal grooves 34 are formed in the flexible walls 31 and 33 for providing additional flexibility to the end sections 30 and 32.

The cable loop assembly further includes a restriction means formed in the socket cooperating with the ferruled sleeve particularly the circumferential groove 22 for preventing the removal of the ferruled sleeve from the socket when the flexible end sections 30 and 32 are in the enclosing position forming the cylindrical enclosure. The restriction means includes a transverse pin 38 that extends through the throat block 24 transversely to the direction of the ferruled end to form an abutment in the socket. The pin extends through the central section 27 intersecting a segment of the socket to fit within the circumferential groove 22 to prevent the ferruled sleeve from being removed from the socket when the flexible walls are in the enclosing position. The pin has a complementry cylindrical surface to match that of the groove 22. The pin 38 has ends 40, 41 that extend outwardly from the sides of the throat block 24.

The cable loop assembly includes a latching means that is movably mounted on the throat block for moving against the flexible end sections 30 and 32 to deflect the ends inwardly to form the cylindrical enclosure 36 and for moving away from the flexible end sections 30 and 32 to permit the end sections to be spread apart to release the ferruled sleeve from the socket to disconnect the loop. The latching means specifically includes a half collar 43 having side arm projections 44 and 45 extending along the side of the throat block to the ends and 41. In this particular embodiment the pin 38 is in the form of a rivet having rivet heads 46 and 47 on the ends thereof to secure the side arms 40 and thereto to provide a pivot axis coaxial with the axis of the pin 38. The half collar 43 has a curved cylindrical inner surface 50 for engaging the outside of the end sections 30* and 32 to deflect the end sections inwardly toward each other as the half collar is pivoted to the latching position shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5. The half collar has a bracket 51 formed in the back thereof with a hole therethrough to accommodate one end of a tie line 53. The tie line 53, when pulled, pivots the half collar from a latching position shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5 to an unlatching position shown in FIG. 4 in which the curved surface 50 is spaced from the flexible end sections 30 and 32 to enable the end sections to spread apart to permit the removal of the ferruled sleeve from the socket.

To biasly hold the half collar 43 in the latch position detents 55 are formed in the arm projections 44 and 45 to cooperate with the throat block to prevent the half collar from being accidentally moved from the latching position to the unlatching position.

It should be noted that the formation of the cylindrical closure 36 by way of flexing the flexible end members 30 and 32 inwardly forms a secure enclosure that resists any transverse force that may be applied to the loop. Also it should be appreciated that the use of term substantially C-shaped in relation to the socket includes U- shapes and other similar shapes.

Having now described a preferred embodiment of this invention, the following claims are set forth as a definition of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A quick-release cable loop assembly comprising:

(a) a cable having a ferruled sleeve mounted on the end thereof;

(b) a throat bl'ock mounted on the cable having a socket adapted to receive said ferruled sleeve at the end of the cable, and an aperture therethrough to receive the cable spaced from the ferrule sleeve to form a loop;

(c) said socket having a flexible openable side wall adapted to flex between an enclosing position and an open position;

((1) said socket having a restriction means cooperating with said ferruled sleeve to prevent removal of the ferruled end from the socket when the flexible side wall is in the enclosing position; and

(e) a latching means mounted on the throat block and adapted to move from a latching position maintain- .ing the side wall in the enclosing position to an unlatching position permitting the side wall to flex to the open position to permit the removal of the ferruled end from the socket.

2. A quick-release cable loop assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the restriction means includes an abutment in the socket for projecting into a circumferential groove formed in the ferruled sleeve to prevent the removal of the ferruled sleeve from the socket when the flexible side wall is in the enclosing position.

3. A quick-release cable loop assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the socket includes a second flexible open able side wall symmetrical with the first flexible side wall for enclosing the ferruled sleeve in the socket.

4. A quick-release cable loop assembly comprising:

(a) a cable having a cylindrical ferruled sleeve;

(b) a throat block mounted on the cable having a C- shaped socket adapted to receive the ferruled end to form a cable loop;

(0) said C-shaped socket having flexible end sections that may be flexed inwardly to form a complementary cylindrical enclosure about the ferruled sleeve;

((1) said socket having a restriction means cooperating with said ferruled sleeve to prevent the removal of the ferruled sleeve from the socket when the flexible end sections are flexed inwardly to form the cylindrical enclosure; and

(e) latching means movably mounted on the throat block for moving against the flexible end sections to form the cylindrical enclosure to maintain the ferruled sleeve in the socket and for moving from the flexible end sections to enable the end sections to be spread apart to release the ferruled sleeve from the restriction means.

5. A quick-release cable loop assembly as defined in claim 4 wherein said socket is formed integrally with the throat block.

6. A quick-release cable loop assembly as defined in claim 4 wherein the latching means includes a half collar pivotally mounted on the throat block for movement between a latch position engagably holding the flexible end sections inward to form the cylindrical enclosure, and an unlatched position free from the flexible end sections to enable the flexible end sections to spread apart to release the ferruled sleeve.

7. A quick-release cable loop assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein the latching means also includes a tie line connected to the half collar to move the half collar to the unlatched position when a remote pulling force is exerted on the tie line.

8. A quick-release cable loop assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein the restriction means includes a transverse pin intersecting the socket to fit within a circumferential groove formed in the ferruled end.

9. A quick-release cable loop assembly as defined in claim 8 wherein the ends of the pin extend from the throat block to connect with and provide a pivot axis for the half collar.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1933 Crockett. 1/1969 McCarthy.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner 

